Unwinding the skein
Field notes from Italy, trusting the process, and PR for authors
It’s been some time since I’ve shared a full update through the Paper Covers Rock channels, though that’s not to say there hasn’t been a lot going on. I invite you to make yourself a tea and grab a blankie, this is a big one!
Updates
As you may have noticed, the festival’s primary communication channel has moved from Mailchimp over to Substack.
With the proliferation of generative writing tools, I predicted a return of the “blog” this year, expecting that we humans might have to express ourselves more truthfully and unabashedly in order to differentiate our content from AI. As we lean into our humanness, I hoped society might steer their interest back toward longer-form writing.
I recently deactivated my personal social platforms (IG, Facebook, and TikTok, and X a long while back) as a tepid political statement against the broligarchy. As I migrated over to Bluesky (marginally better? for now?), I found myself with so much to say but not quite the right forum for sharing. So I fired this delinquent Substack account back up, and here we are. Long live the blog.
Field notes
In November, a small group of us traveled to southern Italy for a week-long creative getaway. It was a collaborative retreat, in that each attendee led the group in a short workshop of their own choosing. In this way, we were able to learn from one another, and so many amazing connections and ideas resulted from this alchemy.
Sarah led us in yoga, Jen conducted an energy cleansing, Carlie guided us through journaling exercises, and Annika hosted a cyanotype workshop. There were also impromptu tarot readings, walks through the ruins of Paestum and Pompeii, a glorious spa sojourn, paint nights, poetry shares, and spritzes on vacant beaches (big fan of off-season travel). It was a balm for the soul, and I think we all brought a lot of juicy material home with us. Check out this beauty highlights reel that Annika Hagen created.
This structure may be a basis for future Paper Covers Rock retreats, so if that is something that interests you, please comment to let me know! It will help with 2026 planning.
Process
At the end of last year, I was gratefully awarded a Catalyst Grant through the Salt Spring National Art Prize to explore natural dyes and eco-printing for a conceptual quilt project. In January, I began my experiments by collecting plant materials from around my home. Given it’s the middle of winter on our rural island, most of the things I collected were in some stage of decay, so I didn’t have high hopes for an interesting outcome. I thought that without vibrant plant materials, the results would be dull and boring. But once I began looking beyond the swaths of grey, brown, and evergreen, I found red berries, snowberries, arbutus bark, eucalyptus leaves, and even some broom in bloom.
The dye results are quite extraordinary, and this process taught me that working with what’s available can, and often will, yield dynamic results. I think that’s an interesting metaphor for the creative process. We tend to wait for the conditions to be just right before we begin an artistic project, especially in writing, but the lesson for me here was simple. Just begin. Just try.
Progress
I’m currently working through edits on my completed memoir, which chronicles my experience healing from cancer. In addition to chemotherapy and radiation, I tried high-dose vitamin C IVs, mistletoe injections, hyperthermia treatments, dream therapy, energy healing, psilocybin, THC, a host of supplements, and cold dipping as part of my recovery.
Now, three years cancer-free, I know that this disease is affecting far too many people. My hope is that by sharing my experience with young-onset colorectal cancer, I can help others navigate their own health challenges by embracing both traditional medicine and complementary healing methods.
We learned so much about the many paths to publishing during the 2023 edition of Paper Covers Rock that if a publisher doesn’t scoop up this manuscript in the coming months, I’ll gladly take the reins and pursue self-publishing. I will share my experience and learnings along the way, of course!
Curiosities
The #20bookchallenge is trending on Bluesky. People are sharing 20 books that influenced them in some way. No reviews, no explanations, just covers. I love seeing what’s popular (Handmaid’s Tale, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984) as well as books I’m not familiar with. See my picks so far! (This is a blatant invitation to join me on Bluesky).
I’ve been listening to The Telepathy Tapes, a podcast that explores mind-to-mind communication. While some of its claims have been met with skepticism, it does tap into the compelling idea that consciousness extends beyond the limits of general awareness. This isn’t new territory; places like The Monroe Institute have been exploring altered states of awareness for decades, studying out-of-body experiences and the potential for expanded perception. If you’d like to access free recordings of the Gateway Tapes from the Monroe Institute, let me know and I’ll share a link with you.
Another podcast recommendation for ya: Real Survival Stories. This show is riveting, for so many reasons. Survival, yes. Lyrical storytelling, yes. The buttery smooth voice of John Hopkins, oh yes.
Reading
"Ideas are like fish. If you want to catch little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you've got to go deeper."
I’m reading Catching Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity by David Lynch. Are you noticing a theme here? Artists have long talked about this concept of “catching” an idea, that the work is showing up every day and being present to accept the ideas as they sweep through.
"Ideas are a disembodied, energetic life-form. They are completely separate from us, but capable of interacting with us—albeit strangely. Ideas have no material body, but they do have consciousness, and they most certainly have will. Ideas are driven by a single impulse: to be made manifest." - Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
Event
My dear pal Jenn over at WINT Communications is hosting a workshop on PR strategies for authors:
You’ve written the book, held it in your hands, posted on social media but now what? In this interactive online workshop, you'll learn essential tools to promote your book and grow your audience with confidence. This session offers practical strategies tailored to authors, including crafting effective pitches, forming collaborations, connecting with media, and creating a strong personal brand. Whether you're a debut author or a seasoned writer, you'll leave Amplify Your Book: PR Strategies for Authors with actionable steps to elevate your book's visibility.
Signing off
In the next edition, I’ll be introducing the Rochambeau Collective, a group I brought together under the Paper Covers Rock banner to help foster closer collaboration, connection, and support among a small group of close friends who are also writers. I’ll share more in the next update.
Thanks for reading,
Terri Potratz
Founder + Director, Paper Covers Rock